A Grey Thin Line

5

All Might was long past his prime, he'd acknowledged this years ago, when he had gotten injured and had a time limit placed on his heroics. Even so, he was still a hero. Heroes made it their business to stick their nose in others' problems.

And what a problem this was.

He wasn't too sure of how he felt about Midoriya and his...extracurricular activities. All Might decided against giving the boy One for All because he was reckless. The hero didn't want young Midoriya to be in danger.

Then the boy goes and becomes a vigilante.

Honestly, All Might wasn't sure if he should be angry or impressed at the boy's tenacity.

Regardless, Midoriya had broken the law. He didn't want the boy to face charges. He didn't tell anyone that he was relieved when Nagaki's brother swept in and disarmed everything the Hero industry could use against both Midoriya and his mentor.

After that, things had calmed to relative normalcy. The young ex-vigilante was now attending the heroics department, the League of Villains had all but been disbanded, and it was really starting to feel like the entire disaster had been tied off with a neat little bow.

Naturally, he jinxed it.

All Might was an observant man by nature. And with his new student, he was paying extra attention.

The moment that Midoriya started dozing in class was the first sign that something was wrong.

The way he jumped when anyone tried to get his attention was the second.

The fact that he kept reaching for weapons that weren't there was the third.

Everyone in the class, especially the three friends he had coming into class 1-A, kept asking what was wrong. Midoriya would just smile and dismiss their concerns with an "I'm fine, don't worry!"

All Might knew how to spot a fake grin.

Midoriya would clam up if he brought it up though. His months of being arguably the most wanted person in Japan instilled a sense of paranoia when it came to pro heroes. No feeling was quite as bad as seeing a problem and not being able to do anything. All Might wasn't about to go and give up though.

So that was how he found himself searching though the young man's school contact information, looking for the number of one Nagaki Kuroda.

The phone didn't finish it's first ring before the man picked up. "Who is this."

All Might cleared his throat, talking in his hero persona was hell on his throat. "This is All Might."

If Nagaki was surprised, he didn't let it bleed into his voice. "Why is the number one hero calling my number?"

"It's about young Midoriya."

The man's tune changed rather fast at that. "Is he okay? Did something happen?"

All Might could pick up a distinctly female snicker on the other end. "Looks like the kid isn't as sneaky as he thought."

It sounded like Nagaki turned away from the phone. "And whose fault is that? If your men had a concept of subtlety-"

All Might cleared his throat. "Should I call at another time?"

Nagaki returned his focus to the phone, "Nah. So, I'm guessing you've noticed Izuku acting jumpy?"

"Yes, I called to make sure that you were aware of the situation."

"Oh yeah, I'm aware. Just found out today, actually." Nagaki's voice faded a bit, bickering with the other person in the room. He came back to the phone, "The kid's taking a nap on my couch right now. I'm dealing with the problem."

"Oh." All Might coughed awkwardly, "Well, I'm glad you're aware. I'll call again if he continues to doze in class."

Nagaki sounded sincere when he said "I appreciate it. Have a good rest of the day, All Might." With that, the original Kuroko hung up, leaving the number one hero in an uncomfortable silence. Pocketing the phone, he opened the doors of the teacher's lounge and began his journey home. On his way, he found himself with enough time to think.

He'd failed Midoriya, once. By telling the boy he had no chance of being a hero, the boy had turned to vigilantism. By sheer force of will, the boy had become a force to be reckoned with. A mind as sharp as a razor and the guidance of a former vigilante had turned young Midoriya into a figure that Villains feared and Heroes grudgingly respected. All of this, he had done without a Quirk.

Maybe All Might needed to rethink his position on making Midoriya his successor.

Kuroda set the phone on the coffee table. "Your lackeys are idiots."

Seamstress took no insult. "I'm aware."

He stood up, pacing the floor. "The league released his info to every criminal?"

"Anyone they could get their hands on." Seamstress confirmed, taking a sip from her beer. "I got most of them too scared to look at the kid, but there are always people stupid enough to ignore that and go after him."

"Do you have anyone you trust?" He asked, sighing when she raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to be there all the time. I still have muscle therapy to go to." He waved his empty sleeve for emphasis, "And in a fight, I'm pretty much useless until I regain my sense of balance."

Seamstress took a moment to think. "I have one." She admitted, "His name's Dabi. Has a fire Quirk, gets defensive over kids younger than him. It's cute."

"And he'd be willing to hang around Izuku?"

Seamstress scoffed, "I have him living under my roof. My niece has him wrapped around her little finger. He won't complain." After the debacle with Daisy and the double chocolate sundae, the kid owed her.

"Fine. I'll break it to the kid he's got a bodyguard when he wakes up." Nagaki sent a look to the couch, where the boy in question was out like a light. "Until this blows over, I'll be needing your help."

"What are friends for?" She said, frowning when he didn't respond. "Hey," she stood, placing a hand on Nagaki's shoulder. "You're doing fine. He's safe. He's alive. We're gonna keep it that way."

The ex-vigilante closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah." He agreed. "We're gonna keep it that way."

Midoriya slept on.